"You have never suffered a single hardship since you were a child. Think about what your father gave you to eat and use, hasn’t it always been better than your peers? If the family really falls, what will a pampered child like you do... Just thinking about it, my heart aches for you."

Mrs. Wang finished speaking, pretending to wipe her eyes with a towel, and sneaked a look at Shi Touyu’s reaction.

Seeing Shi Touyu with reddened eyes, as if taking it in, Mrs. Wang set down the towel and continued to persuade.

"Even if not for your family, you have to think for yourself. The offer from the big boss isn’t low, how can you, a pampered daughter, endure such a bitter and cold life? Besides, that friend of yours, she was never a kind soul, to begin with."

"How do you know she’s not kind?"

"She charges outrageously for her medical services, how can someone like that be fit to be a doctor? People like her, think about how much harm she would cause, and now you holding onto her evidence is benefiting millions of patients!"

"But if I stand up alone to accuse her of overcharging, no one would believe me, right?"

Hearing Shi Touyu say this, Mrs. Wang knew she was getting somewhere.

"Just saying it isn’t enough, doesn’t she carry a notebook with her? Is she the type who likes to document things? You take that notebook and they will investigate each case according to it; they’ll surely find someone willing to expose her."

"But we have four years of friendship after all, I... I can’t bring myself to do it."

"Oh, my silly girl, at this point, you’re still thinking about that? When you needed her, did she care about your four years of friendship? She was heartless enough to leave you in the lurch, so why should you care about her?"

Seeing Shi Touyu waver, her eyes seemed dazed, Mrs. Wang finally voiced her thoughts.

"Don’t trust anyone. Friendship wanes once you leave campus. Don’t believe me? Ask your two friends for money and you’ll see. Those two are the ones planning to be lifelong friends, they’re actually sisters-in-law. You’re always an outsider!"

This speech, which had always echoed in the depths of the heart, suddenly spoken, made Shi Tou’s gaze more bewildered, as she mechanically repeated the words.

"I’m an outsider."

"That’s right, you’re an outsider, you’re just an outsider, so why bother caring? For your own sake, you need to think twice."

"No need to think twice, I promise you. Tell me, what do I need to do?"

The conversation between the two was clearly transmitted from the monitor to the two people on that side of the monitor, Mu Hualili, dressed in a white Tang suit, was playing with his beloved bracelet, eyes closed, gently feeling each bead with his fingers.

The person next to him, full of admiration, handed over a check.

"Doctor Mu, you’re truly amazing, to be able to hypnotize someone so effectively."

If it weren’t witnessed firsthand, who would believe that a person’s consciousness could really be altered? Ever since Shi Touyu entered Mrs. Wang’s house, she had been under surveillance, and the observer was full of admiration.

"It’s hypnosis, not brainwashing. Can I have the money now?"

"Yes, yes! Please accept it—But Doctor Mu, if I may be so bold to ask a question?"

"Hmm?"

"Can this hypnosis really make everyone obedient? If it could, wouldn’t there be no end to making money, and you could control everyone, having as much money as you wanted."

The person handing over the money was just a lowly member but also greedy. If such a super psychiatrist could hypnotize a billionaire, wouldn’t everyone be able to get rich?

"It’s not as simple as you think. First, this kind of hypnosis is the exclusive secret of my sect, not everyone can learn it. Secondly, even we can’t change a person’s consciousness."

"But she’s clearly following what you said, see? When she recites your instructions, her eyes are vacant, she agrees with everything, it’s incredible!"

"Such results can only be achieved under certain circumstances. First, her family underwent huge changes, leaving her brain in a state susceptible to suggestions; second, she herself is the kind who is easily hypnotized. Normal people wouldn’t have such results. During the blank period of her mind, implanting a subconscious can have a tremendous impact."

"Tremendous?"

"The power of the subconscious is more than 30,000 times that of the conscious mind. Used effectively, it can indeed work against some people." Mu Hualili glanced at the monitor and smiled slightly.

His task was completed, he could now go back and count the money.

...

Qian was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in the room like an ant on a hot pan.

Her wet clothes hadn’t been changed, and no matter how much Yu Minglang urged her, she refused to shower and change clothes, just draping a towel around her while pacing, her expression deeply troubled.

Ring~

The sound of the phone ringing broke the silence, and Yu Minglang answered it immediately.

"It’s a call from the security guard."

Qian, like a deflated balloon, had thought it was news about Shi Touyu.

"What? Let her in immediately—No, I’ll go down myself." Xiaoqiang hung up the phone excitedly and cheerfully said to Qian, "She’s back!"

"Who?"

"Shi Touyu is back!"

Qian’s eyes lit up, and before Yu Minglang could react, she ran out.

It was still drizzling outside, much less than before. Qian sprinted all the way, and upon seeing the equally disheveled Shi Touyu, rushed over and hugged her tightly.

"Are you crazy! Running around in the middle of the night!"

"I just went for a walk because I was in a bad mood."

"You little fool, you scared me to death!" Qian really wanted to slap her but when she thought of the news about the Shi Family’s troubles as told by her big brother, she couldn’t bring herself to do it and instead, like when they were in school, pinched her cheek.

"You little rascal! Let’s go, take a shower!"

No matter what, it was good that she was found.

Back home, Qian went to the bedroom and picked out some loungewear, then pulled Shi Touyu by the hand toward the bathroom.

"Hey, hey, hey, honey, come here." Xiaoqiang pulled Qian aside, lowering his voice, "Are you going to shower with her?"

Wouldn’t that let her see his wife’s gracefully curved body?

Qian seemed to hear: Ding dong, your husband, the Asian Vinegar King, is now online!

"We’re both women, isn’t it normal to scrub each other’s backs?"

"Well, our bathroom is small, how about you shower separately in the guest bathroom? Or how about this, let me scrub your back personally?"

Women or not, they shouldn’t shower together!

Qian glanced at him disdainfully, "You can’t handle this? What if I told you that when we were in college, we compared each other’s sizes, wouldn’t you go crazy then?"

What the—?!

Underwear!

A bolt from the blue left Yu Minglang paralyzed, realizing his wife’s perfectly shaped and charming little assets had been fondled by Shi Touyu’s pesky hands?